Manual lawn equipment is a good alternative to it's motorized counterparts. You can be friendly to the environment and still maintain your lawn properly. You don't need state of the art and expensive lawn care equipment to get the job done. Think of your great grandfather and even your grandfather. They didn't have all the fancy equipment we have today and they were able to maintain their lawns. All they used was good old fashioned elbow grease.
Why should I use manual lawn equipment?
Keep in mind this is not an all or nothing concept. Your entire regiment doesn't have to revolve around using manual lawn care equipment. In fact, this may not be practical based on the size of your lawn.
Go from the manual lawn equipment page to the organic lawn care page.
Below I have given you an itemized list of manual lawn equipment that you can weave into your lawn care routine. I have tried to give you pros and cons for each piece of equipment. I truly believe we all should do our part in being friendly to the environment. However, it is important to finish the job you start and it is not always practical.
20”-22” Reel Mower
Pros
Cons
Manual Edgers
There are two types of manual edgers-stick and rotary. A stick edger has a half-moon shaped disk at the base of a long pole. It is used to slice off bits of grass and creates a straight edge. A rotary edger has a star shaped cutter that rotates between the pavement and grass to grind up a straight path between the two.
Pros
Cons
Grass Scissors
Grass scissors can be used in place of a line trimmer.
Pros
Cons
Straw Broom
A straw broom can be used in place of it's motorized counterpart the blower to clean-up your driveway, sidewalks and patio after you have finished your weekly lawn maintenance regiment. This is probably the most common piece of manual lawn equipment that we all use.
Pros
Cons
I have a tip regarding your grass clippings. Be sure to sweep the clippings back into your lawn. Those nitrogen rich grass clippings will feed your lawn naturally.
Metal Rake
The metal rake is a multi-purpose piece of lawn care equipment. It can be used to gather all the fallen leaves into a pile for you in the fall. It can also be used to dethatch. The metal rake will help breakdown the thatch layer so you can remove part of it.
Pros
Cons
Foot/Hand Aerator
The foot/hand aerator pokes thin holes in your lawn to allow air and water to enter the soil. It also helps with soil compaction problems. I actually use a foot aerator in my own front yard as it is on the smaller side.
Pros
Cons
Dandelion Fork/Manual Weeder
A dandelion fork and/or manual weeder can be used to dig out weeds. Just using your hands to pull the weeds out of the ground can leave the roots in tact which will regenerate the plant and the weeds will return. This piece of equipment will help damage the weed and it's root system. This will make it tough for the weeds to grow back.
Pros
Cons
Rain Barrel
If you only want to rely on mother nature to provide the water that your lawn needs to stay healthy and grow deep roots, consider using a rain barrel. The barrel will store rain water.
Pros
Cons
Knowing when to use manual lawn equipment is key. By using manual lawn equipment you will be friendlier to the enviornment, your health and your pocket book.